Congenital Hypothyroidism from Newborn Screening in Thailand

Abstract

Background: Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism in Thailand was performed more than 25 years. To prevent mental retardation and delayed development, early diagnosis and treatment should be done within 14 days. Most previous studies reported from some areas or provinces, recent country data is not available. Objective: To determine the incidence of neonates with congenital hypothyroidism from newborn screening in Thailand. Methodology: During August 1, 2014-July 31, 2015, data of neonates who had positive screening for congenital hypothyroidism and confirmatory tests were recorded. Results: Presumptive positive congenital hypothyroidism was found in 1,663 cases (0.24%) from total 699,331 babies screened. Confirmatory test was performed in 1,530 cases (92%) and 348 cases (20.98%) were confirmatory positive. Among these 348 cases, transient hypothyroidism were diagnosed in 23 cases (6.6%). The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in Thailand was 1:2009. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment of positive cases are necessary for better outcome of congenital hypothyroidism screening in Thailand.